1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for production of hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and/or other products from various hydrocarbon containing formations. Certain embodiments relate to in situ conversion of hydrocarbons to produce hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and/or novel product streams from underground hydrocarbon containing formations.
2. Description of Related Art
Hydrocarbons obtained from subterranean (e.g., sedimentary) formations are often used as energy resources, as feedstocks, and as consumer products. Concerns over depletion of available hydrocarbon resources have led to development of processes for more efficient recovery, processing and/or use of available hydrocarbon resources. In situ processes may be used to remove hydrocarbon materials from subterranean formations. Chemical and/or physical properties of hydrocarbon material within a subterranean formation may need to be changed to allow hydrocarbon material to be more easily removed from the subterranean formation. The chemical and physical changes may include in situ reactions that produce removable fluids, composition changes, solubility changes, phase changes, and/or viscosity changes of the hydrocarbon material within the formation. A fluid may be, but is not limited to, a gas, a liquid, an emulsion, a slurry and/or a stream of solid particles that has flow characteristics similar to liquid flow.
Examples of in situ processes utilizing downhole heaters are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,634,961 to Ljungstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,195 to Ljungstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,450 to Ljungstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 2,789,805 to Ljungstrom, U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,535 issued to Ljungstrom, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,118 to Van Meurs et al., each of which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Application of heat to oil shale formations is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,923,535 to Ljungstrom and U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,118 to Van Meurs et al., both of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Heat may be applied to the oil shale formation to pyrolyze kerogen within the oil shale formation. The heat may also fracture the formation to increase permeability of the formation. The increased permeability may allow formation fluid to travel to a production well where the fluid is removed from the oil shale formation. In some processes disclosed by Ljungstrom, for example, an oxygen containing gaseous medium is introduced to a permeable stratum, preferably while still hot from a preheating step, to initiate combustion.
A heat source may be used to heat a subterranean formation. Electrical heaters may be used to heat the subterranean formation by radiation and/or conduction. An electrical heater may resistively heat an element. U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,360 to Germain, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an electrical heating element placed within a viscous oil within a wellbore. The heater element heats and thins the oil to allow the oil to be pumped from the wellbore. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,960 to Eastlund et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes electrically heating tubing of a petroleum well by passing a relatively low voltage current through the tubing to prevent formation of solids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,818 to Van Egmond, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an electrical heating element that is cemented into a well borehole without a casing surrounding the heating element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,554 to Vinegar et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an electrical heating element that is positioned within a casing. The heating element generates radiant energy that heats the casing. A granular solid fill material may be placed between the casing and the formation. The casing may conductively heat the fill material, which in turn conductively heats the formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,715 to Van Meurs et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an electrical heating element. The heating element has an electrically conductive core, a surrounding layer of insulating material, and a surrounding metallic sheath. The conductive core may have a relatively low resistance at high temperatures. The insulating material may have electrical resistance, compressive strength and heat conductivity properties that are relatively high at high temperatures. The insulating layer may inhibit arcing from the core to the metallic sheath. The metallic sheath may have tensile strength and creep resistance properties that are relatively high at high temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,287 to Van Egmond, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an electrical heating element having a copper-nickel alloy core.
Combustion of a fuel may be used to heat a formation. Combusting a fuel to heat a formation may be more economical than using electricity to heat a formation. Several different types of heaters may use fuel combustion as a heat source that heats a formation. The combustion may take place in the formation, in a well and/or near the surface. Combustion in the formation may be a fireflood. An oxidizer may be pumped into the formation. The oxidizer may be ignited to advance a fire front towards a production well. Oxidizer pumped into the formation may flow through the formation along fracture lines in the formation. Ignition of the oxidizer may not result in the fire front flowing uniformly through the formation.
A flameless combustor may be used to combust a fuel within a well. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,742 to Mikus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,952 to Vinegar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,858 to Wellington et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,269 to Wellington et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe flameless combustors. Flameless combustion may be accomplished by preheating a fuel and combustion air to a temperature above an auto-ignition temperature of the mixture. The fuel and combustion air may be mixed in a heating zone to combust. In the heating zone of the flameless combustor, a catalytic surface may be provided to lower the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel and air mixture.
Heat may be supplied to a formation from a surface heater. The surface heater may produce combustion gases that are circulated through wellbores to heat the formation. Alternately, a surface burner may be used to heat a heat transfer fluid that is passed through a wellbore to heat the formation. Examples of fired heaters, or surface burners that may be used to heat a subterranean formation, are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,056,057 to Vinegar et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,499 to Mikus et al., which are both incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Coal is often mined and used as a fuel within an electricity generating power plant. Most coal that is used as a fuel to generate electricity is mined. A significant number of coal formations are, however, not suitable for economical mining. For example, mining coal from steeply dipping coal seams, from relatively thin coal seams (e.g., less than about 1 meter thick), and/or from deep coal seams may not be economically feasible. Deep coal seams include coal seams that are at, or extend to, depths of greater than about 3000 feet (about 914 m) below surface level. The energy conversion efficiency of burning coal to generate electricity is relatively low, as compared to fuels such as natural gas. Also, burning coal to generate electricity often generates significant amounts of carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur, and oxides of nitrogen that are released into the atmosphere.
Synthesis gas may be produced in reactors or in situ within a subterranean formation. Synthesis gas may be produced within a reactor by partially oxidizing methane with oxygen. In situ production of synthesis gas may be economically desirable to avoid the expense of building, operating, and maintaining a surface synthesis gas production facility. U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,230 to Terry, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a system for in situ gasification of coal. A subterranean coal seam is burned from a first well towards a production well. Methane, hydrocarbons, H2, CO, and other fluids may be removed from the formation through the production well. The H2 and CO may be separated from the remaining fluid. The H2 and CO may be sent to fuel cells to generate electricity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,293 to Garrett, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, discloses a process for producing synthesis gas. A portion of a rubble pile is burned to heat the rubble pile to a temperature that generates liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons by pyrolysis. After pyrolysis, the rubble is further heated, and steam or steam and air are introduced to the rubble pile to generate synthesis gas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,453 to Steinfeld et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes an ex situ coal gasifier that supplies fuel gas to a fuel cell. The fuel cell produces electricity. A catalytic burner is used to burn exhaust gas from the fuel cell with an oxidant gas to generate heat in the gasifier.
Carbon dioxide may be produced from combustion of fuel and from many chemical processes. Carbon dioxide may be used for various purposes, such as, but not limited to, a feed stream for a dry ice production facility, supercritical fluid in a low temperature supercritical fluid process, a flooding agent for coal bed demethanation, and a flooding agent for enhanced oil recovery. Although some carbon dioxide is productively used, many tons of carbon dioxide are vented to the atmosphere.
Retorting processes for oil shale may be generally divided into two major types: aboveground (surface) and underground (in situ). Aboveground retorting of oil shale typically involves mining and construction of metal vessels capable of withstanding high temperatures. The quality of oil produced from such retorting may typically be poor, thereby requiring costly upgrading. Aboveground retorting may also adversely affect environmental and water resources due to mining, transporting, processing and/or disposing of the retorted material. Many U.S. patents have been issued relating to aboveground retorting of oil shale. Currently available aboveground retorting processes include, for example, direct, indirect, and/or combination heating methods.
In situ retorting typically involves retorting oil shale without removing the oil shale from the ground by mining. “Modified” in situ processes typically require some mining to develop underground retort chambers. An example of a “modified” in situ process includes a method developed by Occidental Petroleum that involves mining approximately 20% of the oil shale in a formation, explosively rubblizing the remainder of the oil shale to fill up the mined out area, and combusting the oil shale by gravity stable combustion in which combustion is initiated from the top of the retort. Other examples of “modified” in situ processes include the “Rubble In Situ Extraction” (“RISE”) method developed by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (“LLL”) and radio-frequency methods developed by IIT Research Institute (“IITRI”) and LLL, which involve tunneling and mining drifts to install an array of radio-frequency antennas in an oil shale formation.
Obtaining permeability within an oil shale formation (e.g., between injection and production wells) tends to be difficult because oil shale is often substantially impermeable. Many methods have attempted to link injection and production wells, including: hydraulic fracturing such as methods investigated by Dow Chemical and Laramie Energy Research Center; electrical fracturing (e.g., by methods investigated by Laramie Energy Research Center); acid leaching of limestone cavities (e.g., by methods investigated by Dow Chemical); steam injection into permeable nahcolite zones to dissolve the nahcolite (e.g., by methods investigated by Shell Oil and Equity Oil); fracturing with chemical explosives (e.g., by methods investigated by Talley Energy Systems); fracturing with nuclear explosives (e.g., by methods investigated by Project Bronco); and combinations of these methods. Many of such methods, however, have relatively high operating costs and lack sufficient injection capacity.
An example of an in situ retorting process is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,241,611 to Dougan, assigned to Equity Oil Company, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. For example, Dougan discloses a method involving the use of natural gas for conveying kerogen-decomposing heat to the formation. The heated natural gas may be used as a solvent for thermally decomposed kerogen. The heated natural gas exercises a solvent-stripping action with respect to the oil shale by penetrating pores that exist in the shale. The natural gas carrier fluid, accompanied by decomposition product vapors and gases, passes upwardly through extraction wells into product recovery lines, and into and through condensers interposed in such lines, where the decomposition vapors condense, leaving the natural gas carrier fluid to flow through a heater and into an injection well drilled into the deposit of oil shale.
Large deposits of heavy hydrocarbons (e.g., heavy oil and/or tar) contained within relatively permeable formations (e.g., in tar sands) are found in North America, South America, and Asia. Tar can be surface-mined and upgraded to lighter hydrocarbons such as crude oil, naphtha, kerosene, and/or gas oil. Tar sand deposits may, for example, first be mined. Surface milling processes may further separate the bitumen from sand. The separated bitumen may be converted to light hydrocarbons using conventional refinery methods. Mining and upgrading tar sand is usually substantially more expensive than producing lighter hydrocarbons from conventional oil reservoirs.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,467 to Gregoli et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,467 to Gregoli et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe adding water and a chemical additive to tar sand to form a slurry. The slurry may be separated into hydrocarbons and water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,090 to Hanson et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes physically-separating tar sand into a bitumen-rich concentrate that may have some remaining sand. The bitumen-rich concentrate may be further separated from sand in a fluidized bed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,985,138 to Humphreys and U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,349 to Duyvesteyn et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe mining tar sand and physically separating bitumen from the tar sand. Further processing of bitumen in surface facilities may upgrade oil produced from bitumen.
In situ production of hydrocarbons from tar sand may be accomplished by heating and/or injecting a gas into the formation. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,211,230 to Ostapovich et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,897 to Leaute, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe a horizontal production well located in an oil-bearing reservoir. A vertical conduit may be used to inject an oxidant gas into the reservoir for in situ combustion.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,450 to Ljungstrom, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes heating bituminous geological formations in situ to convert or crack a liquid tar-like substance into oils and gases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,441 to Ware et al, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes contacting oil, heat, and hydrogen simultaneously in a reservoir. Hydrogenation may enhance recovery of oil from the reservoir.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,559 to Glandt and U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,726 to Glandt et al, which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe preheating a portion of a tar sand formation between an injector well and a producer well. Steam may be injected from the injector well into the formation to produce hydrocarbons at the producer well.
Substantial reserves of heavy hydrocarbons are known to exist in formations that have relatively low permeability. For example, billions of barrels of oil reserves are known to exist in diatomaceous formations in California. Several methods have been proposed and/or used for producing heavy hydrocarbons from relatively low permeability formations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,231 to Northrop et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a method for recovering hydrocarbons (e.g. oil) from a low permeability subterranean reservoir of the type comprised primarily of diatomite. A first slug or volume of a heated fluid (e.g. 60% quality steam) is injected into the reservoir at a pressure greater than the fracturing pressure of the reservoir. The well is then shut in and the reservoir is allowed to soak for a prescribed period (e.g. 10 days or more) to allow the oil to be displaced by the steam into the fractures. The well is then produced until the production rate drops below an economical level. A second slug of steam is then injected and the cycles are repeated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,401 to Hartman et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a method for the recovery of viscous oil from a subterranean, viscous oil-containing formation by injecting steam into the formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,897 to Leaute et al., which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a method and apparatus for recovering and/or upgrading hydrocarbons utilizing in situ combustion and horizontal wells.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,224 to Laali, which is incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describes a method for improving hydrocarbon flow from low permeability tight reservoir rock.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,297,626 Vinegar et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,854 to Vinegar et al., which are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, describe a process wherein an oil containing subterranean formation is heated.
As outlined above, there has been a significant amount of effort to develop methods and systems to economically produce hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and/or other products from hydrocarbon containing formations. At present, however, there are still many hydrocarbon containing formations from which hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and/or other products cannot be economically produced. Thus, there is still a need for improved methods and systems for production of hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and/or other products from various hydrocarbon containing formations.